When my mom comes over for a holiday dinner, she usually brings a salad because she’s a master salad maker. She makes the best salads! Always with homemade dressing. For Easter she did a springy salad with romaine, peas, asparagus, radishes, fresh herbs and a lemon basil vinaigrette (I have a similar lemon basil vinaigrette on my site!). It was so good and the perfect fresh addition to what can sometimes become a heavy meal. We had ham and roasted potatoes, green beans, cornmeal biscuits, and fresh fruit. For dessert, I made my no bake chocolate tart – it was a hit! I honestly think the key to a good salad is a great homemade dressing. There are a few store-bought brands I love and I do keep a couple bottles in my fridge for a quick and easy salad, but mixing up a quick vinaigrette is so easy, too. My go-to is often my sweet and tangy honey mustard vinaigrette, but poppyseed dressing is another one of my favorites. Of course, sometimes you just can’t beat a homemade ranch dressing.
About this Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing
Familiar: A dressing often found in the stores is Parmesan Peppercorn Dressing. I see Ken’s, Logan’s, Marzetti’s, and Carrabba’s are all favorites of the Google searchers of the world. I always loved the dressing at Carrabba’s too, so you’re not alone. Perfect on a green tossed salad: This dressing is best suited for a leafy green salad with tons of vegetables. It would be great with grilled chicken or sliced grilled steak to round it out into a full meal. It’s not a dressing I’d pair with fruit, but hey, if you want to try it, I’m not going to stop you. Homemade croutons are a must! Lightened up: I made this dressing a little lighter than what you might find bottled in the store by using a combination of Greek yogurt and buttermilk. Despite its deceptive name, buttermilk is actually quite low in fat. Per my non-RD calculations of the nutrition info, two tablespoons of this Parmesan Peppercorn dressing only adds 46 calories to your salad. For a creamy dressing, that’s a huge win. Yogurt always wins, doesn’t it? Great blue cheese alternative: If you don’t like blue cheese dressing (I’m raising my hand!), I think this dressing would be a perfect alternative where blue cheese dressing is often used, like for Cobb salad or for dipping wings.
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